


warmth.

by greywords



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, this is slightly late and i massively apologize whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-09-23 20:16:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9674384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greywords/pseuds/greywords
Summary: genji never thought he'd be in this situation, never in a thousand years. ( for the mcgenji valentines event on tumblr!! )





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [JustinCOMS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustinCOMS/gifts).



> hey!!! this is for actualjackmorrison @ tumblr! the prompt i chose to do was ' mccree teaches genji hot to make entomatadas or pozole. ' it got a little away from that, but the food is still a central of the fic so i hope this is okay! ; v;
> 
> as for other things to note: this is pre-recall, but post genji meeting zenyatta??? does that make sense what even if overwatch's timeline.
> 
> either way!!! happy valentine's day, my dude, and i hope you enjoy this!

there were few things that could get genji buzzing about like an a bee who had stumbled across a hive of honey. waking to see mccree cooking at the stove of their safehouse was one of them, of course. _( it was less a safehouse and more a cabin ; simply a place to rest your head and get some food in you. it was far enough from town that one needn't worry about being too sneaky. )_

 

his nose twitched at the smell of garlic and the crackle of hot oil, pushing himself upright and padding from the back room to the main room. mccree's back was turned, swaying gently back and forth as he hummed and cooked, oblivious to the ninja behind him. genji paused at the sight, taken aback by how relaxed mccree seemed. he was even dressed down in a sense, serape and chaps left aside. 

 

_ ( his ever-present gunbelt remained in place, peacekeeper polished to a flashing silver and ready for action. mccree looked relaxed, but that just made the gunslinger more dangerous. genji could sympathize ; his swords may have been left off for now, but his shuriken were always there and ready. ) _

 

he moved up behind mccree carefully, not even touching him as he leaned around to peer at the food. this close, the garlic smell was stronger and practically mouth-watering ; it reminded genji of the strong flavors of home, which made his stomach rumble noisily enough to draw the outlaw's attention to him.

 

“ so sleeping beauty's finally awake. ” he gave a low laugh, the sound rumbling as genji pressed close to his side. it was more a vibration than a sound, pleasant in its warmth and familiarity. it was a sound that made genji feel safe, which was a rare thing these days.

 

“ what are you making? ....it smells amazing. ” his voice was quiet, dropped hardly loud enough to hear over the snap and pop of hot oil. it seemed wrong to speak loud enough to break the domesticity of the moment.

 

“ something my ma used to make me. real simple, but it's real good. ” he hummed again, another rumbling sound for genji to lean himself against. “ figured you might like it, and we had the stuff for it. ”

 

genji knows that's a lie ; the pantry had been sparsely stocked with mostly survival foods and definitely nothing as perishable as fresh vegetables. jesse must have risen early to make a run into town for all the things he needed.

 

it was thoughtful really, but what did he expect? mccree was a very thoughtful man once you got past the rough-and-tumble outlaw on the outside. which was hard, yes, but simple if you had known mccree since before he looked like.he'd stepped out of an old western flick.

 

the bravado, the flair, the facade -- genji knew the man beneath all that. he knew the man who had stayed back to pull him from the rubble of a badly executed firefight, and the same man who had spent precious time off with him in the infirmary when he was too injured to be elsewhere.

 

mccree was someone special -- not only to him, but to the world. a one of a kind wonder...or maybe genji was just being a sap. he had a tendency to do that these days, with the monotony of staying with someone on the run.

 

he turned his attention back to the sizzling oil and warm, wonderful smelling sauce, winding an arm around mccree to better lean in to look. there was a plate to mccree's left bearing already finished and fried tortillas, filled with cheese and meat that smelled good enough that genji's nose twitched.

 

he watched as mccree picked up another from the stack he had, going about preparing it as he had: the tortilla was only in the oil briefly, the oil crackling and popping loudly as it was, and then he was moving aside to put the meat and cheese within it, settling it on the plate with its brothers.

 

“ see? simple. ” he spoke up when genji didn't say anything, tilting his head so he could peer down at genji quietly. the ninja rocked back on his heels a little before laughing.

 

“ simple enough that even i could do it. ” it was no secret between them that genji had very little skill with a stove and oven. being raised by mostly maids did that to a boy. “ will it be ready soon? ”

 

“ mmhm. lemme finish making my own plate and we'll be ready to eat. ” he seemed to have a quiet, private little smile for genji's enthusiasm, turning back to the task at hand.

 

genji eventually extracted himself from mccree's side, padding over to the window of the home-away-from-home to peer outside. it was nearly noon _( god, had he really slept so late? )_ and the sun was slanting through the trees outside of the house, lending an ethereal view to the woodland surrounding them on three sides.

 

there was a pang of something warm in the center of genji's ribcage. something wanting, that unfurled gently as he leaned on the windowsill and listened to mccree hum and cook behind him. this was a quiet life, one he never once dreamed of having. not in hanamura as the second son of a yakuza lord and not in overwatch after he'd been rebuilt -- to live peacefully with someone he loved had never factored into his life.

 

he jumped when mccree whistled to get his attention, so drawn into his thoughts that he hadn't heard the stove click off or the lack of popping oil. he turned on his heel and mccree gave a snort of a laugh, raising the plate in his left hand to gesture to genji, and then the table seated in front of the couch. the small safehouse lacked a dining room -- but that wasn't something that bothered genji all that much.

 

it was easy to tuck himself into the corner of the couch, plate balanced on his lap as mccree took the other side. he had spooned the sauce over the tortillas, the scent of garlic and tomato wafting up into genji’s face as he used his fork to cut a piece of it free to eat. mccree was already eating, though he kept glancing over to genji as if expectantly awaiting his reaction.

 

the first bite had genji making a thoughtful noise before he seemed to pause and peer down at the plate. even with his deadened taste buds, the taste of the food was bold and bright and strong enough that it was distinctive. it was a surprise, shown obviously on genji's face as he arched his brows.

 

“ good? ” mccree's voice was amused, a smile sneaking onto his features.

 

“ it's really good. really, really good. ” he swiped his tongue over his lip to catch some of the sauce that had clung to his cheek. “ this is amazing, jesse. “

 

“ good. i thought you'd like it. it was always one of my favorites, y'know? ”

 

“ i never knew that. i can see why, though. ” he smiled, settling to eat while mccree flipped on the television to the news. it only remained there long enough to get the news before he flipped it to a channel that tended towards old movies, showing some sort of flick involving giant robots versus monsters.

 

the soft, unfurling warmth returned to his chest as they sat there, eating and watching old movies like some sort of married couple. the idea of asking mccree if they could stay this way, if they could simply make a place for themselves in this cabin in a town too small to have a name, hangs on his tongue before he swallows it down.

 

they're both dangerous men. nothing would come of staying in a place long term besides paranoia and the rising urge to sleep with a gun more than they already did. it would never remain as quiet and wonderful as this.

 

for now, he was content to remain this way with with good food and silly movies and mccree sitting nearby. it was almost like back in blackwatch together in the way mccree had always gone out of his way to include genji and make him feel less like the outcast he had always felt like. he had invited him to meals, had pulled genji into his jokes and his pranks and his daily torment of their commanding officer, just to try and make the stoic and angry cyborg crack a laugh.

 

he had been genji's first true friend. perhaps his first love as well, if genji could place a name to the warmth flooding through him. he shifted a little closer to mccree, brushing his elbow with jesse's, and reveled in the warmth of the cowboy being so close to him. they would have to move out one day, go their separate ways until the winds of chance blew them back together, but he didn't mind that.

 

the winds had always favored him, after all.


End file.
